Fans Upset Over HGTV’s ‘Farmhouse Fixer’ Finale With TLC’s ‘Little Couple’

HGTV/Getty/YouTube Jen Arnold and Bill Klein, from TLC's "The Little Couple," appeared on HGTV's "Farmhouse Fixer" in October 2022

When fans of HGTV‘s “Farmhouse Fixer” tuned into its heavily-promoted season finale on October 19, 2022, they were eager to see how Jonathan Knight and designer Kristina Crestin would renovate a farmhouse for the stars of TLC’s “The Little People.” But the show followed a different format than usual, sharing very little of the final renovation. Viewers have taken their frustration to social media, begging the hosts and HGTV for a do-over or follow-up.

‘The Little Couple’ Purchased a Brand New Farmhouse Near Boston

Across social media platforms, the overwhelming sentiment from fans of “Farmhouse Fixer,” which has been a bonafide hit for HGTV in its first two seasons, is that they were “very disappointed” in the final show of the season.

Typically, Knight — who rose to fame in his still-popular band, New Kids on the Block — and designer Crestin help families restore a run-down New England farmhouse they’ve already purchased. For instance, the season premiere that aired on August 24 featured the duo revitalizing a 1798 home in New Hampshire.

The second season featured multiple celebrity cameos including fellow HGTV stars Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis of “Unsellable Houses” and Jenny Marrs from “Fixer to Fabulous,” as well as Knight’s NKOTB bandmates Joey McIntyre, Donny Wahlberg and his brother, Jordan Knight. Fans were especially excited to see that the stars of TLC’s hit show “The Little Couple,” Jen Arnold and Bill Klein, would be appearing on the season finale. Their show hasn’t aired since 2019 due to a complicated legal battle between TLC’s parent company and the show’s producers, so their fans were also excited to see the couple back on TV.

Arnold is a doctor and her work caused the family to move from Florida to Massachusetts in early 2022 for a new job at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital. Wanting to live in a farmhouse, they turned to Knight and Crestin for help finding the perfect property. On the season finale of “Farmhouse Fixer,” the foursome looked at several houses for sale and discussed design possibilities for each.

The Arnolds have particular design needs, given that they and their two children — 11-year-old Zoey and 12-year-old Will — each have a type of dwarfism, which the Mayo Clinic says typically refers to an adult whose height is 4 feet 10 inches or less, caused by a genetic or medical condition. During the show, for instance, Knight gifted Arnold with the lower part of an antique dresser that would be easily accessible and fit the style of home they were looking for.

At the end of the show, Arnold and Klein revealed they’d decided to purchase a newly constructed “farmhouse.” In May, Arnold told In Touch Weekly that they’d found a home that was “already partially built,” adding that they were interested in a new construction that was one floor or could have an elevator added due to the couple’s issues with arthritis.

“Now, we’re just trying to gear up to hopefully move this summer into our home,” she said, which they finally did in August after renting an apartment in the area for seven months.

According to documents obtained by the outlet as the couple moved into the home in August, Arnold and Klein paid $2,138,700 for the 5,400 square-foot home in Natick, Massachusetts on one acre of land, with six bedrooms and five bathrooms.

As the credits on the “Farmhouse Fixer” rolled, viewers got a brief view of the renovated kitchen with lower-than-typical sinks and counters, but no other design changes were shown, which left fans wanting more.

Fans Express Frustration, Knight’s Business Partner Says Show Should Have Been Called ‘Farmhouse Finder’

Shortly after the “Farmhouse Fixer” episode aired, Arnold uploaded a photo of the exterior of their new home on Instagram and wrote, “We love our new house & can’t wait to share more of how we designed it soon!”

But an exterior view was not enough for fans, with many expressing their disappointment over the lack of renovation details, which they’re used to seeing on the show.

“I wish we could have seen more of what was done,” one person responded. “The elevator, the island, etc. Hope there is more to come.”

Another wrote, “This episode felt like a episode of House Hunters, also felt like the house was already being built for Jen & Bill ~ I feel bamboozled!!”

On the Heavy on HGTV Facebook page, fans flooded a post about the season finale. Many expressed sadness over the season already being over, while others questioned the decision not to show the inside renovation.

“Love the show, but I was disappointed we didn’t get to see the process of how they completed the house,” one fan wrote. “It should have been a two parter!”

Another wrote, “I was like I thought this was about him designing not playing realtor. And then at the end we barely got the see the house finished. Disappointed”

Meanwhile, over on the “Farmhouse Fixer” Facebook fan page, hundreds of people chimed in on one woman’s post about the show.

“I was a bit disappointed in last nights show,” she wrote. “I love Bill and Jen, and love farmhouse fixer, but there was no farmhouse fixer. It was more like house hunters show. I was thinking he was going to find them a house, then redo it for him. Instead they bought a new house. I love the house, just miss him doing his magic on them.”

Knight’s business partner, Scott Harmon, who is seen periodically on the show, responded to fans’ reactions on the Facebook page.

He wrote, “It was filmed as a special episode and I think it should have been called Farmhouse Finder to avoid the confusion. That being said I think we need to see Jon on Farmhouse Fixer AND Farmhouse Finder next season. Double the Jon!!”

Meanwhile, Arnold has shared a couple of more Instagram posts from the house. In one, she acknowledged, “Ive had lots of requests to show more of the inside of our home” so she shared a video sharing the wallpapers chosen for some of the rooms. She also shared a photo of the room where she said she put the dresser Knight gave her, but the photo has no furniture in it.

HGTV has not officially announced that “Farmhouse Fixer” has been renewed for a third season, but given that it has become one of the network’s top-performing shows, it’s highly likely the series will return.